Ben Rampton

Ben Rampton is Professor of Applied & Sociolinguistics at King's College London, where he serves as Director of the Centre for Language Discourse and Communication. He previously directed the King's Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Centre (2011-14) and was founding Convener of the UK Linguistic Ethnography Forum (2001-09).

His research centers on interactional sociolinguistics, with particular focus on urban multilingualism, ethnicity, class, youth culture, and education. He employs ethnographic and interactional discourse analysis methods, drawing connections between linguistics, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies. His work has significantly contributed to understanding linguistic citizenship, crossing phenomena, and the relationship between language and (in)securitisation.

Rampton's publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory exploring how language functions in diverse social contexts, particularly in multilingual urban environments. His recent work increasingly integrates memory studies with sociolinguistics and examines linguistic citizenship as a framework for understanding language rights and social inclusion. He has also been instrumental in developing linguistic ethnography as a methodological approach across social sciences.

• Doctor Honoris Causa from University of Copenhagen
• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences
• Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute
• Leverhulme Research Fellowship (2003)

As a PhD supervisor, Rampton has guided numerous doctoral students working on topics including urban Welsh ideologies, homelessness discourse, multilingualism among overseas domestic workers in Hong Kong, and linguistic landscapes. His research has been supported by major grants from the British Academy, Research Promotion Foundation, and Leverhulme Trust, focusing on projects related to memory politics, diaspora identities, language security, and adult language socialization. He directs the 'Ethnography Language & Communication' advanced methods research training programme for UK social scientists.

Rampton edits the Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies series and serves on the editorial boards of numerous international journals including Journal of Sociolinguistics, Language in Society, and Applied Linguistics. He co-founded and previously convened the Linguistic Ethnography Forum, which has been instrumental in developing linguistic ethnography as a cross-disciplinary methodology.